Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

Policy Statement

At Bright Beginnings, we are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in our care. We believe that every child has the right to feel safe, secure, valued, and respected. We are alert to the signs of abuse and neglect and follow the procedures set out by our Local Safeguarding Children Partnership (Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership) and the statutory guidance from the Department for Education, including the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Working Together to Safeguard Children.

Aims

To provide a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment for all children.
To ensure all staff are trained and confident in identifying signs of abuse and reporting concerns appropriately.
To work closely with parents, carers, and external agencies to safeguard children's wellbeing.
Create an environment to encourage children to develop a positive self-image
Provide positive role models and develop a safe culture where staff are confident to raise concerns about professional conduct
Support staff to notice the softer signs of abuse and know what action to take
Encourage children to develop a sense of independence and autonomy in a way that is appropriate to their age and stage of development
Provide a safe and secure environment for all children
Promote tolerance and acceptance of different beliefs, cultures and communities
Always listen to children
Provide an environment where practitioners are confident to identify where children and families may need intervention and seek the help they need
Share information with other agencies as appropriate

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

The DSL is responsible for:

Types of Abuse

Staff are trained to recognise the signs of:

Physical abuse
Emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
Neglect
Domestic abuse
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Radicalisation and extremism (Prevent Duty)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Procedures for Reporting Concerns

Any concerns must be reported to the DSL or Deputy DSL immediately.
If a child is in immediate danger, staff must contact the police and children’s social care directly.
All concerns are documented in writing using our Safeguarding Concern Form and stored securely.
Concerns are never ignored, and staff never promise confidentiality to a child disclosing abuse.

Legal Framework

This policy is based on the following legislation and statutory guidance:

Children Act 1989 & 2004
Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024)
The Prevent Duty (2015)
Female Genital Mutilation Act (2003) and Serious Crime Act (2015)
Data Protection Act (2018) & UK GDPR
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006)
Education Act 2002
Counter Terrorism and Security Act (2015)
Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019
Children and Social Work Act 2017
Multi-agency statutory guidance on FGM
Local Safeguarding Partnership Procedures

Staff Responsibilities

All staff must:

Attend safeguarding training at least every two years (with annual refreshers)
Read and understand Keeping Children Safe in Education
Be familiar with nursery safeguarding procedures
Maintain professional boundaries and avoid inappropriate relationships
Report concerns about colleagues (Whistleblowing)

Whistleblowing

Bright Beginnings has a clear Whistleblowing Policy to encourage and support staff to raise concerns about poor practice or abuse by colleagues. All concerns are taken seriously and investigated appropriately.

Sharing low-level concerns

On occasion, inappropriate, problematic or concerning behaviour by staff or other adults is observed but does not meet the threshold for significant harm. This may be classed as a ‘low-level’ concern, although this does not mean that it is insignificant.

We define a low-level concern as:

We encourage a culture of openness, trust and transparency, with clear values and expected behaviour, monitored and reinforced by all staff. All concerns or allegations, however small, will be shared and responded to. All concerns will be shared with the DSL, or other nominated person, as in our reporting procedures. We encourage concerns to be shared as soon as reasonably practicable and preferably within 24 hours of becoming aware of it. However, it is never too late to share a low-level concern.

It is not expected that staff will be able to determine whether the behaviour in question is a concern, complaint or allegation before sharing the information. If the DSL is in any doubt as to whether the information meets the harm threshold, they will consult the LADO.

Occasionally a member of staff may find themselves in a situation which could be misinterpreted or appear compromising to others. If this occurs, staff are encouraged to self-report to the DSL. Equally, a member of staff may have behaved in a manner which, on reflection, falls below the standards set in our Staff behaviour policy. If this occurs, staff are encouraged to self-report to the DSL. We encourage staff to be confident to self-refer and believe it reflects awareness of our standards of conduct and behaviour.

When the DSL receives the information, they will need to determine whether the behaviour:

Meets, or may meet, the harm threshold (and so contact the LADO)
Meets the harm threshold when combined with previous low-level concerns (and so contact the LADO)
Constitutes a ‘low-level’ concern
Is appropriate and consistent with the law and our Staff behaviour policy.

The DSL will make appropriate records of all information shared, including:

With the reporting person
The subject matter of the concern
Any relevant witnesses (where possible)
Any external discussions such as with the LSP or LADO
Their decision about the nature of the concern
Their rationale for that decision
Any action taken.

This constitutes a record of low-level concern. We retain all records of low-level concerns in a separate low-level concerns file, with separate concerns regarding a single individual kept as a chronology. These records are kept confidential and held securely, accessed only by those who have appropriate authority. Records will be retained at least until the individual leaves their employment.

If the low-level concern raises issues of misconduct, then appropriate actions following our Disciplinary procedures will be taken. Records will be kept in personnel files as well as in the low-level concerns file.

Monitoring children’s attendance

As part of our requirements under the statutory framework we are required to monitor children’s attendance patterns to ensure they are consistent and no cause for concern.

We ask parents to inform the nursery prior to their children taking holidays or days off, and all incidents of sickness absence should be reported to the nursery the same day so the nursery management are able to account for a child’s absence.

If a child has not arrived at nursery within one hour of their normal start time, the parents will be contacted to ensure the child is safe and healthy. If the parents are not contactable then the emergency contacts numbers listed will be used to ensure all parties are safe. Staff will work their way down the emergency contact list until contact is established and we are made aware that all is well with the child and family.

If contact cannot be established then we would assess if a home visit were required to establish all parties are safe. If contact is still not established, we would assess if it would be appropriate to contact relevant authorities, including the police, in order for them to investigate further.

Where a child is part of a child protection plan, or during a referral process, any absences will immediately be reported to the Local Authority children’s social care team to ensure the child remains safe and well.